'but for a trader in the Middle
Ages, it would have been
a gruelling trek,

0:21:27

0:21:31

'lasting several days.'

0:21:31

0:21:33

"The distance and the hardship
of the road they travel are great.

0:21:39

0:21:43

"They have to cross
a difficult desert

0:21:43

0:21:45

"that is made almost inaccessible
by fear and beset by thirst.

0:21:45

0:21:50

"Water is found there
only in a few well-known spots,

0:21:50

0:21:54

"to which caravan guides
lead the way.

0:21:54

0:21:56

"The distance of this ordeal
is braved only by very few people."

0:21:57

0:22:00

'The explorers of old
all say the same thing,

0:22:07

0:22:10

'that this was the toughest
of journeys.'

0:22:10

0:22:13

Marrakech - it's called the Rose
City, Daughter of the Desert,

0:22:19

0:22:24

and it's always been a place where
traders picked up

0:22:24

0:22:27

high-quality goods
to take with them on their journey.

0:22:27

0:22:30

It was founded in the 11th century
by the powerful Almoravid Berber
dynasty,

0:22:31

0:22:36

who made it the capital of a huge
empire stretching right through
North Africa

0:22:36

0:22:41

and into southern Spain.

0:22:41

0:22:43

50 miles to the east,
the Atlas Mountains provide
a spectacular backdrop.

0:22:46

0:22:51

Moroccan porridge.

0:23:03

0:23:04

Some of the most popular merchandise

0:23:11

0:23:13

on the trans-Saharan
trade routes were

0:23:13

0:23:15

leather goods. And some of the best-
quality leather was produced here at

0:23:15

0:23:19

Marrakech's oldest tannery.

0:23:19

0:23:21

It's as ancient
as the salt roads themselves.

0:23:23

0:23:25

And I'm surprised to find
it's still in full swing.

0:23:25

0:23:28

'Najib is one of the tannery's
oldest workers.

0:23:37

0:23:40

'He's been here for 48 years.'

0:23:40

0:23:42

This is a cow.

0:23:59

0:24:00

'It takes 20 days to turn an animal
hide into the leather used for the

0:24:05

0:24:08

'world-famous bags, shoes and belts
sold in the local markets.

0:24:08

0:24:12

'It's dirty work.'

0:24:14

0:24:16

I'm primed, ready for action.

0:24:16

0:24:17

OK, so this tank
is full of gypsum.

0:24:27

0:24:30

It smells totally
and utterly disgusting.

0:24:31

0:24:35

And I can't believe this guy's doing
it with his bare hands,

0:24:35

0:24:38

because I reckon this stuff burns.

0:24:38

0:24:40

'This potent cocktail
removes the hair from the hide.'

0:24:41

0:24:46

That actually comes off
really, really easily.

0:24:46

0:24:48

'But there's worse to come.'

0:24:48

0:24:50

Smells fantastic.

0:24:58

0:25:00

Excited to get in.

0:25:00

0:25:01

'Pigeon excrement contains ammonia,

0:25:04

0:25:06

'which acts as a softening agent to
make the hides more malleable.'

0:25:06

0:25:10

This is harder than it looks.

0:25:10

0:25:11

We're trampling on the animals
in, like,

0:25:11

0:25:13

a circle but I can't keep up
with them.

0:25:13

0:25:16

It's like being in a whirlpool.

0:25:16

0:25:18

A whirlpool of pigeon shit.

0:25:18

0:25:19

'Finally, we move the hides
into a vat of water for rinsing.

0:25:21

0:25:24

'Is this what would have been
happening 1,000 years ago?'

0:25:26

0:25:29

So, the process is exactly
the same, passed down
from father to son,

0:25:45

0:25:48

so basically what I'm doing now,

0:25:48

0:25:50

apart from the fact
I've got new waders on,

0:25:50

0:25:52

is the same exactly as they'd
have done in the 11th century.

0:25:52

0:25:55

This labour-intensive process
was a highly skilled craft,

0:26:05

0:26:09

which back then ensured the global
reputation of Moroccan leather.

0:26:09

0:26:12

And it's amazing that this tannery
is still providing
fine-quality hides

0:26:14

0:26:19

for the shoes, bags and belts in the
souks of Marrakech

0:26:19

0:26:22

and markets all over the world.

0:26:22

0:26:24

At night, Marrakech,
the party town, comes to life.

0:26:31

0:26:35

In the main square,
Jemaa el-Fnaa,

0:26:36

0:26:38

you're transported back in time
to a more exotic world.

0:26:38

0:26:41

The air is rife with hawkers' cries,
wandering minstrels and magicians.

0:26:44

0:26:49

You could end up with a monkey on
your shoulder or eating a bowl
of snails.

0:26:50

0:26:55

And I can't help noticing how many
more West African faces
there are here,

0:26:55

0:27:00

echoes of traders from the past who
would have arrived

0:27:00

0:27:02

from across the Sahara
with their wares.

0:27:02

0:27:05

But the performer who is attracting
the biggest crowd is offering
perhaps

0:27:09

0:27:12

the simplest and oldest form
of entertainment.

0:27:12

0:27:14

'Storytelling.'

0:27:16

0:27:18

This is the most interesting history
lesson in the history
of the world.

0:27:18

0:27:22

He's talking about the trans-Saharan
trade and about crossing the Sahara

0:27:22

0:27:26

and he's got this line
where he says,

0:27:26

0:27:28

"The sun was beating down from above
and the sun was burning up
from below.

0:27:28

0:27:32

"The camels were dying,
the men were dying,

0:27:32

0:27:34

"they were loaded with skins
and hides from the south,

0:27:34

0:27:37

"coming north and they were
searching for gold and for salt."

0:27:37

0:27:40

Many years ago, these stories would
have been the only way for people to

0:27:55

0:27:59

learn about life in faraway lands.

0:27:59

0:28:01

Now they're opening a door
into the past

0:28:02

0:28:04

for us and it's thrilling to hear

0:28:04

0:28:06

1,000 years of history, and the
journey I'm making, come alive.

0:28:06

0:28:10

In this magical world,

0:28:15

0:28:16

I feel like Timbuktu
could be just around the corner.

0:28:16

0:28:19

But I've still got 1,500 miles
to travel.

0:28:20

0:28:22

Time for me to get some sleep,

0:28:24

0:28:26

as North Africa's largest mountain
range awaits me.

0:28:26

0:28:29

For this next leg of my journey,

0:28:36

0:28:38

I've left Morocco's cities behind
me and I'm continuing on foot

0:28:38

0:28:41

through the Atlas Mountains.

0:28:41

0:28:42

They stretch right
across the country,

0:28:45

0:28:47

forming a massive natural barrier,
and climb to over 4,000 metres.

0:28:47

0:28:51

I'm no stranger
to endurance treks,

0:28:55

0:28:57

having completed the gruelling
Marathon Des Sables
across the Sahara and

0:28:57

0:29:02

run races through these mountains.

0:29:02

0:29:03

But this will be a different kind
of challenge,

0:29:05

0:29:08

as the snows have come early, making
it cold and treacherous underfoot.

0:29:08

0:29:12

Up here, it's Berber country.

0:29:17

0:29:18

There are around 14 million of them
in Morocco and many of them live in

0:29:20

0:29:23

these mountains.

0:29:23

0:29:25

I'm starting my trek in the Berber
village of Afra.

0:29:28

0:29:31

'In these villages, traditions
are part of everyday life.'

0:29:45

0:29:49

This lady's been explaining to me
about her henna.

0:29:49

0:29:53

So she... I asked if it was
for a wedding and she said no,

0:29:53

0:29:56

but apparently she just wanted
to look nice for her family,

0:29:56

0:29:58

so she went and got it done. And it
doesn't last as long as you think.

0:29:58

0:30:01

I thought it would last a couple of
weeks but she says it goes quickly

0:30:01

0:30:04

because, of course, she's working
hard here, using her hands.

0:30:04

0:30:07

'I'm meeting my friend Saaid Naanaa,
who's a mountain guide.'

0:30:21

0:30:24

-Saaid, la bas!

-And you?

-Good!

0:30:24

0:30:28

'We've taken on these mountains
together before,
but never in the snow.'

0:30:28

0:30:32

OK, so...

0:30:32

0:30:33

'If anyone can get me across these
steep peaks in one piece, it's him.

0:30:33

0:30:37

'We're heading for Tizi n'Tichka,
the highest major pass
in North Africa,

0:30:44

0:30:48

'a gratifyingly tough
half-day hike away.

0:30:48

0:30:51

'Trans-Saharan merchants
would have made this journey by mule

0:30:54

0:30:57

'or, like us, on foot.'

0:30:57

0:30:59

How high are we up here?

0:30:59

0:31:01

We are here about 2,100 metres.

0:31:01

0:31:05

I can feel it already on my chest.

0:31:05

0:31:06

-Yeah, me too. It's normal.

-Really?

-Yeah.

0:31:06

0:31:09

'Up here, the air is thin, making it
harder to breathe, even for Saaid,

0:31:10

0:31:15

'who has spent most of his life here
in the mountains.'

0:31:15

0:31:18

-Saaid, my friend?

-Yes.

-You're a Berber?

0:31:18

0:31:21

Yes, I'm a Berber.

0:31:21

0:31:22

What does that mean?

0:31:23

0:31:24

Berber is... They say this is
a nickname given by the Romans

0:31:26

0:31:30

-when they occupied
the north of Africa.

-Yeah.

0:31:30

0:31:33

But the original name is Amazighen.

0:31:33

0:31:37

-It means free people or
noble people, if you want.

-Yeah.

0:31:37

0:31:41

'The Berbers, or Amazigha, are the
indigenous people of North Africa

0:31:41

0:31:46

'and can trace their heritage
back to 3000 BC.'

0:31:46

0:31:49

Does Berber have its own language?

0:31:50

0:31:53

The Berber, they have
their language,

0:31:53

0:31:55

which is totally different
than Arabic.

0:31:55

0:31:58

So, Arabic you write from right to
left and the Berber is the opposite,

0:31:58

0:32:04

from left to right, or you can write
like Chinese, down.

0:32:04

0:32:08

The weather is closing in,
which is worrying,

0:32:12

0:32:14

because the paths ahead are
getting seriously precarious.

0:32:14

0:32:19

-You see, the path is going down
from here.

-Yeah.

0:32:19

0:32:22

-Then you see that rock ledge.

-Whoa!

0:32:22

0:32:25

Then you go uphill to the path.

0:32:25

0:32:27

-So we've done the easy bit. This is
the hard bit, isn't it?

-Yeah.

0:32:28

0:32:31

We've still got four miles to go and
the light will soon be disappearing.

0:32:36

0:32:41

SHE PANTS

0:32:44

0:32:47

I really like Saaid, but right
at the moment I actually hate him.

0:32:47

0:32:50

He's making me go fast
and we're uphill because
we're worried about the dark.

0:32:50

0:32:55

I don't really want to go
fast uphill, frankly.

0:32:55

0:32:58

He's all chirpy.
I'm not the least bit chirpy.

0:32:58

0:33:01

And how they ever did this with
donkeys and mules laden with goods -

0:33:05

0:33:09

totally beyond me.

0:33:09

0:33:10

It's zero degrees and plummeting
as the afternoon draws on

0:33:18

0:33:22

and I'm cold and wet.

0:33:22

0:33:24

Have we got long to go, Saaid?

0:33:26

0:33:28

Nearly. This is the Tichka Pass.

0:33:28

0:33:30

-Yeah?

-And there we go.

-Good.

-Nearly there.

0:33:30

0:33:34

-Well done.

-I'm beginning to feel it a bit.

0:33:34

0:33:36

'It's one last push to reach the top

0:33:38

0:33:40

'and we make the Tichka summit
just in the nick of time,

0:33:40

0:33:44

'before the bad weather
really rolls in.'

0:33:44

0:33:47

Is this it, Saaid?

0:33:47

0:33:49

-We made it.

-Yeah, you did it.

0:33:49

0:33:52

Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

0:33:52

0:33:55

Good job.

0:33:55

0:33:56

Well done.

0:33:56

0:33:58

We spend the night in
the tiny village of Tazga,

0:34:04

0:34:07

where we're lucky enough
to find rooms.

0:34:07

0:34:09

For the merchants centuries ago,

0:34:10

0:34:12

it might have meant
a cold night under canvas.

0:34:12

0:34:15

In the morning, with the toughest
part of this leg behind me,

0:34:17

0:34:21

I set off alone.

0:34:21

0:34:22

It's refreshing! Whew!

0:34:29

0:34:30

I'm following an old trade route
south along the Ounila Valley.

0:34:33

0:34:38

The mountains here are rich in
natural deposits - copper, silver,

0:34:38

0:34:42

iron ore and a commodity much
favoured by the traders - salt.

0:34:42

0:34:46

The salt mines marked on my map
are all in the desert,

0:34:49

0:34:52

so I didn't expect to find one
this far north.

0:34:52

0:34:55

The track is dusted with the stuff,

0:34:56

0:34:59

the first evidence I've come across

0:34:59

0:35:01

of why these routes
are named salt roads.

0:35:01

0:35:04

The place seems deserted,
but as if from nowhere,

0:35:09

0:35:12

someone arrives to open the mine up.

0:35:12

0:35:14

It looks pretty old and
I'm wondering whether it was around

0:35:16

0:35:19

in the days of the ancient
salt roads themselves.

0:35:19

0:35:21

One of the men, Zakaria Aboelkassem,

0:35:27

0:35:29

is a co-owner of the mine
and knows its history well.

0:35:29

0:35:32

Oh, wow.

0:35:36

0:35:37

Wow.

0:35:45

0:35:46

'Parts of the mine
date back to the 13th century,

0:35:53

0:35:56

'which puts it right at the peak
of trans-Saharan trade.'

0:35:56

0:35:59

ALICE LAUGHS

0:36:44

0:36:45

A flower of salt.

0:36:59

0:37:00

There were salt mines
all along the routes to Timbuktu.

0:37:23

0:37:27

Until paper money was introduced
by French colonisers

0:37:27

0:37:30

in the early 20th century,
it was used as a form of currency,

0:37:30

0:37:34

and it's where our word "salary"
comes from.

0:37:34

0:37:38

Some say that at the height of
the trade across the desert,

0:37:38

0:37:41

salt was as valuable as gold
by weight.

0:37:41

0:37:43

I feel like Indiana Jones. I've just
been down this incredible salt mine,

0:37:45

0:37:49

and this is where they'd have come,
the traders,

0:37:49

0:37:52

with their mules and their donkeys,

0:37:52

0:37:53

which they'd just brought
over that snowy pass,

0:37:53

0:37:56

and load up with the salt
to take to Timbuktu.

0:37:56

0:37:58

As I continue my journey southwards,

0:38:07

0:38:09

I'm finding evidence
all along the way

0:38:09

0:38:12

that travelling merchants
used this route.

0:38:12

0:38:15

It became known as
the Valley of the Kasbahs

0:38:16

0:38:18

because it's dotted with ancient
buildings where the traders stayed.

0:38:18

0:38:22

Proof of the sheer volume
of trade crossing the desert.

0:38:25

0:38:28

Kasbahs, like this beautiful one
in the small village of Tamatert,

0:38:32

0:38:37

were built by rich
and powerful families

0:38:37

0:38:39

as fortresses for themselves

0:38:39

0:38:41

but also for the many merchants
who passed through the area.

0:38:41

0:38:45

This is a fortified village,

0:38:48

0:38:50

absolutely typical along this route
where all the merchants travelled.

0:38:50

0:38:54

You've got every single thing
you would need in it for a stay -

0:38:54

0:38:57

somewhere to put your animals,
a water supply, a granary,

0:38:57

0:39:01

somewhere to store your goods and to
sleep, and also things like a mosque

0:39:01

0:39:05

and even in some of them
they had two cemeteries,

0:39:05

0:39:07

one for the Jews
and one for the Muslims,

0:39:07

0:39:09

in case you were unlucky enough
to die on the route.

0:39:09

0:39:12

But really the main reason that
the merchants wanted to come here...

0:39:12

0:39:16

..was for the kasbah.
The kasbah was the fortress,

0:39:18

0:39:21

and typically had four big towers,
one on each corner,

0:39:21

0:39:25

tiny little windows and each one of
those towers would have soldiers

0:39:25

0:39:28

guarding it. So once you got
yourself into a fortified area,

0:39:28

0:39:31

into a kasbah, you knew that
your goods were safe

0:39:31

0:39:33

and that you weren't going
to get robbed,

0:39:33

0:39:35

because there were a load of robbers
and thieves on this highway,

0:39:35

0:39:39

and the only downside,
I guess, is that, of course,

0:39:39

0:39:42

you had to pay for it. So the guy
who owned this would take a tax

0:39:42

0:39:46

and there were really quite
rich pickings from those caravans.

0:39:46

0:39:49

A safe and secure place to rest
for the night was something

0:39:54

0:39:58

sensible merchants
would gladly pay for.

0:39:58

0:40:01

After all, most were carrying
a precious cargo.

0:40:01

0:40:03

"Six days past, a nobleman arrived
here from Gago called Jordabasha.

0:40:06

0:40:11

"He brought with him 30 camels laden
with tibar, which is unrefined gold,

0:40:11

0:40:16

"also a great store of pepper,
unicorn horns

0:40:16

0:40:20

"and a great quantity of eunuchs,
dwarves and men and women slaves,

0:40:20

0:40:25

"besides 15 virgins."

0:40:25

0:40:26

This must have made extraordinary
reading for 16th-century Europeans.

0:40:30

0:40:35

Tales of this kind of cargo on
the salt roads would only have added

0:40:35

0:40:39

to Timbuktu's already glittering
reputation.

0:40:39

0:40:42

This morning, I've left
the Valley of the Kasbahs

0:40:48

0:40:51

and I'm heading into the mountains
and plains of the Jbel Saghro.

0:40:51

0:40:54

I'm trying to reach
the ancient city of Sijilmasa,

0:40:57

0:41:00

the great northern crossroads
of the old trade routes.

0:41:00

0:41:03

But first, I have to cross

0:41:05

0:41:06

some of the most barren terrain
in the world.

0:41:06

0:41:08

Jbel Saghro means
"mountains of drought".

0:41:11

0:41:14

This area of the Atlas gets
a mere 10cm of rain a year,

0:41:14

0:41:19

the same as parts of
the neighbouring Sahara Desert.

0:41:19

0:41:21

This landscape feels completely
prehistoric, it's so rugged,

0:41:24

0:41:27

it's so violent in some way
and yet it is completely beautiful,

0:41:27

0:41:31

and very, very few outsiders,

0:41:31

0:41:33

very, very few Westerners
get to come here,

0:41:33

0:41:37

so it's unchanged.

0:41:37

0:41:39

I have some help to navigate
this vast territory.

0:41:44

0:41:48

This is home to the Ait Atta tribe
of Berber nomads,

0:41:51

0:41:55

who for centuries have guided
traders across these mountains.

0:41:55

0:41:58

I'm lucky enough to count one of the
last surviving nomad families

0:42:00

0:42:03

as friends.

0:42:03

0:42:04

I was saying I can see the whole
family waiting for me.

0:42:07

0:42:11

-Alice, la vas.

-La vas!

0:42:11

0:42:13

THEY SPEAK ARABIC

0:42:13

0:42:15

'Zaid is the head of
a large family.

0:42:17

0:42:19

'He and his wife, Izza,
have six children,

0:42:19

0:42:22

'including a little one, Brahim,
who I haven't met before.

0:42:22

0:42:26

'Zaid's mother, Aisha, is 77.'

0:42:26

0:42:28

Mama.

0:42:28

0:42:30

'Berbers venerate their elders
and she commands a certain respect.'

0:42:30

0:42:34

Zaid and his family have 250 goats,
which are the main source of income.

0:42:39

0:42:45

To find grazing for them,
they have to keep on the move.

0:42:45

0:42:48

Every day in summer,

0:42:48

0:42:49

they pack up the tent they live in
and all their belongings

0:42:49

0:42:52

to find new pastures.

0:42:52

0:42:54

All the family,
young and old, help out.

0:42:56

0:42:59

Traversing this rocky landscape
is no mean feat

0:43:05

0:43:09

with all the animals, goods
and people in tow.

0:43:09

0:43:12

We have six miles to cover
before we stop for the night

0:43:12

0:43:15

and there are few paths
or landmarks to navigate by.

0:43:15

0:43:18

Their knowledge of the area made
these Berber tribes invaluable

0:43:20

0:43:24

to the merchants, who needed to get
their goods across the terrain.

0:43:24

0:43:27

Centuries ago, these Berbers
were doing exactly this.

0:43:29

0:43:33

They were transporting goods
across these treacherous mountains,

0:43:33

0:43:37

down these difficult paths
that they know so well,

0:43:37

0:43:40

and still today it's the Berbers,
with their mules and donkeys,

0:43:40

0:43:44

who get things to
the very remote villages

0:43:44

0:43:46

that aren't accessible by vehicle.
So nothing has changed.

0:43:46

0:43:50

Zaid's family come from
the Ait Atta tribe of Berbers,

0:43:59

0:44:03

whose history dates back to before
the arrival of Arabs and Islam

0:44:03

0:44:06

in the seventh century.

0:44:06

0:44:07

At the height of
trans-Saharan trade,

0:44:10

0:44:12

they were the leading Berber tribe.

0:44:12

0:44:14

But now, nomad numbers
are dwindling.

0:44:16

0:44:19

So Zaid's just been telling me
about how he came into this life

0:44:32

0:44:36

and his father was a nomad
before him.

0:44:36

0:44:38

And his father used to migrate
between here and Ait Bougmez,

0:44:38

0:44:41

which is a three-week trek,
and he did that all his life.

0:44:41

0:44:45

Then when he got older
and a bit more tired,

0:44:45

0:44:47

he bought a very small piece of land
down in the valley

0:44:47

0:44:50

and Zaid is carrying on
the tradition with his family,

0:44:50

0:44:53

which he will pass on
to his sons, probably.

0:44:53

0:44:55

After five hours, our entourage
finally comes to a halt.

0:45:05

0:45:09

It doesn't look much to my eye,

0:45:10

0:45:11

but this is going to be home
for the night.

0:45:11

0:45:13

But first, there's some work to do.

0:45:17

0:45:19

The first thing the women did when
they got into camp was to go and

0:45:22

0:45:25

collect the kind of dry scrub

0:45:25

0:45:27

and then they've just put
it straight onto the fire

0:45:27

0:45:29

because it burns immediately and
they put the tea on, first thing.

0:45:29

0:45:32

This is an azib, left behind by
other nomads passing through.

0:45:35

0:45:39

Experienced hands quickly turn
the tumbledown walls into

0:45:39

0:45:43

a robust enclosure and shelter.

0:45:43

0:45:45

Once the goatherd tent is up,
it's time to think about dinner.

0:45:48

0:45:52

With typical Berber hospitality,

0:45:56

0:45:58

they're preparing a meal
in my honour,

0:45:58

0:46:00

and with no supermarket for miles,
there's only one thing on the menu.

0:46:00

0:46:06

Fahid and Zaid...the two Zaids
are taking a goat up here to kill it

0:46:06

0:46:09

for a celebration for my arrival,
and of course for me

0:46:09

0:46:11

it's really difficult to watch
an animal being killed,

0:46:11

0:46:14

even though I do eat meat,
so I'm not looking forward to this

0:46:14

0:46:17

but I have to do it,
so I'm going to.

0:46:17

0:46:18

GOAT CRIES

0:46:29

0:46:31

SLICING

0:46:35

0:46:36

It's hard to watch,
but it's a great honour.

0:46:41

0:46:44

Goats represent the family's wealth,
so it's a big deal to eat one.

0:46:44

0:46:48

They immediately set to work
to skin the carcass.

0:46:51

0:46:54

As night falls in
the Jbel Saghro mountains,

0:47:10

0:47:13

Zaid is preparing skewers

0:47:13

0:47:15

to put the best bits of goat
on the open fire.

0:47:15

0:47:18

Nothing of this animal
will be wasted.

0:47:18

0:47:20

He's just cutting up the heart.

0:47:30

0:47:32

Got the livers cooking already

0:47:32

0:47:35

and the kidneys are somewhere
in the middle.

0:47:35

0:47:38

The smell of the meat and Izza's
bread cooking on the fire

0:47:39

0:47:42

is making everybody hungry
after a long and active day.

0:47:42

0:47:45

But I'm not sure whether hearts,
livers and kidneys are going to be

0:47:47

0:47:51

as much of a treat for me
as they clearly are for them.

0:47:51

0:47:54

Tastes really, really good.

0:47:56

0:47:58

Salty and really savoury
but it's a little bit crunchy.

0:47:58

0:48:01

BOTH: Mmm!

0:48:04

0:48:05

By 8:30, I'm ready for bed.

0:48:08

0:48:10

The family all sleep together
under rugs and blankets in the tent,

0:48:12

0:48:16

much as their ancestors
would have done,

0:48:16

0:48:18

and I'm bedding down with them.

0:48:18

0:48:19

THEY LAUGH

0:48:26

0:48:28

It's just after six in the morning
and everyone's starting to wake up.

0:48:41

0:48:46

The mother's got up
and has put on the fire.

0:48:46

0:48:48

The kids are awake.

0:48:50

0:48:51

I'm beginning to get a feel for what
the caravans must have been like,

0:48:53

0:48:58

loading up the animals,
unloading them,

0:48:58

0:49:00

living in a big tent all together,

0:49:00

0:49:02

eating together and everyone having
their job to do and doing it quickly

0:49:02

0:49:07

and efficiently as they can,

0:49:07

0:49:09

but I still haven't experienced
the burning sands of the desert

0:49:09

0:49:12

and I'm beginning to look forward to
that because it's been so cold.

0:49:12

0:49:15

The morning fire takes a little
chill off the mountain air

0:49:26

0:49:30

and the hot, sweet tea
helps as well.

0:49:30

0:49:32

THEY SPEAK ARABIC

0:49:41

0:49:44

Zaid's just telling me that life
here in the mountains is too hard,

0:49:47

0:49:50

that it's too cold, that every day
packing up the tent,

0:49:50

0:49:54

putting up the tent, trying to
find food for the animals,

0:49:54

0:49:57

the children always,
always being cold,

0:49:57

0:50:00

the children getting sick
because there's no medicines here,

0:50:00

0:50:03

that it's too much and what he
really wants within the next ten
years is to settle in the village

0:50:03

0:50:08

and what he wants for his children
is that they go to school

0:50:08

0:50:11

and that they get jobs,
things like drivers.

0:50:11

0:50:14

Which of course,
to us seems, you know,

0:50:14

0:50:16

it's such a romantic lifestyle,
this, when you see it,

0:50:16

0:50:18

when you see the family
all together,

0:50:18

0:50:20

when you see how happy they are,

0:50:20

0:50:21

when you see how hard
they're working.

0:50:21

0:50:23

But having spent the night under
canvas, it is absolutely freezing

0:50:23

0:50:28

and seeing how hard they have
to work even to get a fire going,

0:50:28

0:50:32

it makes you think,
would you want to do this?

0:50:32

0:50:34

And I have to say, the answer
is no, I wouldn't. It is too hard.

0:50:34

0:50:37

So I can completely understand

0:50:37

0:50:39

why he would want something
different for his children.

0:50:39

0:50:41

It's sad to say goodbye to
Zaid and his family.

0:50:50

0:50:53

There are few nomads left in these
mountains, and in a few years' time,

0:50:56

0:51:00

this way of life may have
disappeared altogether.

0:51:00

0:51:03

I'm leaving the rocky mountain
terrain of the Jbel Saghro

0:51:10

0:51:13

and travelling east.

0:51:13

0:51:15

100 miles away is
my next destination, Sijilmasa,

0:51:17

0:51:21

an ancient city which was a mecca
for trans-Saharan traders due to its

0:51:21

0:51:25

position on the edge of the Sahara.

0:51:25

0:51:28

Strangely, it's not marked
on any modern maps,

0:51:30

0:51:33

but I do know that it's next to
the modern town of Rissani.

0:51:33

0:51:37

Rissani seems typical of
so many towns in Morocco.

0:51:41

0:51:46

A bustling market
in the centre of town

0:51:46

0:51:48

and a lot of new houses
going up on the outskirts.

0:51:48

0:51:52

And so far, there's nothing
to give me a clue

0:51:52

0:51:54

as to where
the ancient city might be.

0:51:54

0:51:57

It's proving very difficult to find
- no signs, no blue plaques

0:51:58

0:52:02

and at the moment
I'm in what appears to be

0:52:02

0:52:04

a great big building site.

0:52:04

0:52:06

Then, something begins to show
itself above the skyline.

0:52:12

0:52:15

A vast, lost city in the sand.

0:52:25

0:52:27

Sijilmasa was founded
at the end of the eighth century

0:52:34

0:52:37

and became the most important city

0:52:37

0:52:39

on the trade routes
north of the Sahara.

0:52:39

0:52:41

Its position on the northern edge
of the desert meant

0:52:44

0:52:46

it could control the gold supply
coming up from the south.

0:52:46

0:52:49

It boasted a mosque, a palace

0:52:52

0:52:54

and probably barracks for soldiers.

0:52:54

0:52:56

And on its fringes, a huge oasis

0:53:00

0:53:03

meant there was one thing
in abundance - water,

0:53:03

0:53:06

a lifeline for travellers

0:53:06

0:53:08

arriving after a gruelling journey
through the desert.

0:53:08

0:53:11

'I've arranged to meet Chloe Capel,
a French archaeologist

0:53:15

0:53:18

'and one of very few
who have worked on this site.'

0:53:18

0:53:21

It's about 2km long,

0:53:22

0:53:25

800 metres wide and there are so
many things to know about it.

0:53:25

0:53:29

It's not done, not yet.

0:53:29

0:53:30

There's lots of work for
archaeologists here on this site.

0:53:30

0:53:34

The site has remained
a well-kept secret

0:53:42

0:53:45

and no-one has excavated here
for several years.

0:53:45

0:53:48

There are still pieces of history
lying all over the place.

0:53:48

0:53:52

Here, as you can see...

0:53:52

0:53:54

-..there is a lid.

-Uh-huh?

0:53:55

0:54:01

You take it this way
on the top of a...

0:54:01

0:54:04

a cup or a little jar, something
like that, and it's medieval.

0:54:04

0:54:07

-How do you know?

-Because of
the shape, because of the paste.

0:54:07

0:54:11

Maybe it's 12th century
or 14th century.

0:54:11

0:54:15

And it's just lying here
on the site?

0:54:15

0:54:16

-It's everywhere, all around you,
on the 2km wide of the site.

-Wow.

0:54:16

0:54:20

And if I were here at the height
of the trans-Saharan trade,

0:54:21

0:54:24

what would I have seen?

0:54:24

0:54:26

Probably a very rich city
with many houses,

0:54:26

0:54:32

gardens, numerous gardens,

0:54:32

0:54:34

because medieval texts tell us
that there were many gardens

0:54:34

0:54:38

inside the city and it was
spectacular for travellers

0:54:38

0:54:41

because they were just emerging
from the desert

0:54:41

0:54:44

and they found this oasis,
it was impressive for them.

0:54:44

0:54:48

The oasis was large enough to cater
not only for the townsfolk

0:54:56

0:55:00

but visiting traders
and caravans too.

0:55:00

0:55:03

And Chloe believes
it was planned that way,

0:55:03

0:55:06

to attract the burgeoning
trans-Saharan traffic of the time.

0:55:06

0:55:09

People, travellers,
merchants were aware that

0:55:11

0:55:15

when you stop in Sijilmasa,

0:55:15

0:55:17

whenever you stop here, whenever it
is in the season, you can find food,

0:55:17

0:55:22

water, camels, numerous
camels to travel, dates, fodder,

0:55:22

0:55:27

everything to be sure to go safe
until Timbuktu,

0:55:27

0:55:31

until the sub-Saharan Africa.

0:55:31

0:55:33

It seems to me that in its way, this
was the Timbuktu of the north,

0:55:41

0:55:46

a vital refuelling stop
for traders coming out of

0:55:46

0:55:49

or heading into the Sahara.

0:55:49

0:55:51

How sad, then, that this great city

0:55:53

0:55:55

was destroyed in the early 19th
century by invading Berber nomads.

0:55:55

0:55:59

In fact, the same tribe as the nomad
family I've just stayed with.

0:56:01

0:56:05

It's less than a mile back into the
centre of Rissani and I'm travelling

0:56:10

0:56:14

in the way of most traders here,
by donkey cart.

0:56:14

0:56:17

We park up at the town's answer
to pay and display.

0:56:20

0:56:23

SHE SPEAKS ARABIC

0:56:25

0:56:28

In Rissani's bustling market,

0:56:30

0:56:32

you can buy just about anything and
there are stalls laden with the same

0:56:32

0:56:36

fresh produce that would have
gladdened the hearts of weary desert

0:56:36

0:56:39

travellers of the Middle Ages.

0:56:39

0:56:41

-Hafida?

-Hi!

-Hey!

-How are you?

-I'm good.

0:56:46

0:56:49

'I've come here
to meet Hafida H'douban,

0:56:49

0:56:52

'Morocco's first-ever
female trekking guide.'

0:56:52

0:56:55

Are you looking for some dates?

0:56:55

0:56:56

'Hafida's taking me on the next,
most dangerous leg of the journey,

0:56:56

0:57:00

'into the Sahara Desert, and she's
stocking up with provisions.'

0:57:00

0:57:04

Taste it, if it's OK.

0:57:04

0:57:05

-That's nice?

-Yeah.

0:57:07

0:57:08

I think the best one is that,
so I will take from there.

0:57:08

0:57:11

'Dates were a staple food for
people crossing the Sahara.

0:57:11

0:57:15

'They say you can survive
on just seven a day

0:57:15

0:57:18

'and their high-sugar content
means they last for ages.'

0:57:18

0:57:21

Very energetic and very nice

0:57:22

0:57:25

and now we are lucky
because it's a time for the dates.

0:57:25

0:57:29

-Perfect!

-It's for this year,
it's the new one,

0:57:29

0:57:31

because in October we have dates.

0:57:31

0:57:35

-Yeah.

-So it's OK.

0:57:35

0:57:36

Tomorrow, Hafida and I will be
embarking on the most challenging
part of my journey so far,

0:57:37

0:57:43

one which many a trans-Saharan
trader didn't survive.

0:57:43

0:57:47

Next time,

0:57:54

0:57:56

we trek into 3.5 million
square miles of desert...

0:57:56

0:58:00

..and some of the most extreme
temperatures on the planet -

0:58:01

0:58:04

the great Sahara.

0:58:04

0:58:05

It was incredibly perilous.

0:58:07

0:58:10

This is why the goods, when they got
to the other end, cost so much,

0:58:10

0:58:13

it was the danger factor.

0:58:13

0:58:15

Modern life takes an ugly turn...

0:58:15

0:58:18

My security contingent
has got extremely nervous

0:58:18

0:58:20

and they won't let me go
any further.

0:58:20

0:58:22

..and I finally make it to
the city of my dreams, Timbuktu.

0:58:22

0:58:27

Now I get it, my first glimpse of
the icon of Timbuktu.

0:58:27

0:58:32

Timbuktu - a place so mysterious, mythical and far, far away that it has become a legendary destination. Alice Morrison, Arabist, writer, explorer and Marrakech resident, follows what was once one of the world's richest trading networks - the infamous salt roads - across north Africa from the top of Morocco to the fabled sandstone city of Timbuktu. Trekking 2,000 miles across some of the deadliest landscapes on earth, Alice journeys deep into the history, culture and civilisation of both ancient and modern north Africa.

Standing at the crossroads between north and sub-Saharan Africa, and straddling the vast Sahara Desert and the great River Niger, the legendary trading post of Timbuktu, now one of the most dangerous places on earth, was founded over a thousand years ago, and its wealth was built on two precious commodities - gold and salt. Over the centuries, caravans with thousands of camels passed regularly between Timbuktu and Morocco. They were led across the deadly trans-Saharan 'salt roads' by a desert tribe called the Tuareg, who still patrol the desert today.

Setting off from Tangier, Europe's gateway to Africa, Alice learns how gold was in high demand in north Africa, to be minted into coins and adorn palaces. Its source was the gold mines of sub-Saharan Africa, and so the routes across the desert were forged. Hitching a ride in a crowded taxi of locals, Alice passes through the Islamic city of Fes, home to the world's oldest university, where she stays in a caravanserai, the ancient traders' version of a motel with mule and camel parking, and helps prepare the merchant's dish of the day, camel meatballs.

Next, she catches the famous hippy train, the Marrakech Express, to the other northern terminus of trans-Saharan trade, the great market town of Marrakech. Deep in the ancient city, she learns how to treat leather the ancient way by wading up to her waist in vats of cow hide, poison and... pigeon poo. And at night in the grand square, Djemaa El Fnaa, she hears tall tales of the traders of old and their perilous travels across the Sahara.

Continuing on foot, she treks in snow and storms across the mighty Atlas Mountains dotted with Berber villages; the Berbers, or Amazigh, are the indigenous people of Morocco. On the other side of the Atlas, Alice discovers ancient caves of salt, the commodity which gave the salt roads their name.

Further south, she travels through valleys lined with casbahs, fortresses where the traders could stay in safety along the route with their valuable goods. In the barren, unforgiving heat of the Jebel Saghro desert, she enlists the help of Berber nomads. They still graze their animals there and live the same traditional lifestyle. They help her on her way to the ancient city of Sijilmasa, whose amazing forgotten ruins sit on the edge of the great Sahara Desert. It's a lost city, which was once a great trading post, a sanctuary for merchants arriving after the long trek across the Sahara from Timbuktu.